TL;DR
- Master class-specific melee attacks with unique status effects for tactical advantages
- Implement strategic loot cycling: sell early gear, dismantle rare items for mods
- Optimize sprinting melee for devastating area-of-effect opening strikes
- Develop early mod-crafting habits to build your preferred playstyle foundation
- Leverage ability cooldown windows with melee as reliable backup damage
Outriders represents an innovative fusion of third-person shooting mechanics with deep RPG progression systems, developed by People Can Fly and published by Square Enix. While the initial gameplay experience feels accessible and streamlined, numerous advanced combat systems and strategic nuances remain under-explained that can dramatically enhance your battlefield performance. This comprehensive guide reveals the essential techniques the game doesn’t explicitly teach you.
Beyond these core strategies, we’ve developed extensive supplementary resources covering every aspect of Outriders gameplay. The title supports cross-platform play across Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, PC, and Stadia, with Xbox Game Pass subscribers receiving immediate access. For players seeking deeper tactical knowledge, our companion guides provide specialized insights.
While your character’s supernatural abilities understandably command attention, each class possesses a remarkably potent melee strike that many players underestimate. These close-quarters attacks inflict distinctive status ailments: Devastators induce bleeding damage over time, Pyromancers apply burning effects, Tricksters impair enemy movement speed, and Technomancers freeze targets solid. When your powers are recharging during intense firefights, these reliable melee options provide crucial emergency defense, though their primary function remains aggressive engagement. Sometimes the most effective assault initiation involves charging directly toward hostile positions rather than taking cover.
Executing a melee assault while sprinting triggers a dramatic aerial maneuver where your character launches upward before crashing down with concussive force, generating a destructive area-of-effect impact. This creates an exceptionally powerful engagement starter, particularly for Devastator and Trickster specialists who thrive in close-quarters combat scenarios. The impact radius typically affects multiple adversaries simultaneously, making it ideal for breaking fortified enemy formations.
Torment & Agony are powerful legendary pistols that ideally fit the Trickster’s hit-and-run playstyle.
Throughout your campaign on Enoch, you’ll continuously discover equipment caches, with the game expertly maintaining a steady progression of increasingly superior weaponry and protective gear. During initial chapters, consistently vend outdated equipment while equipping statistically superior replacements. This approach not only ensures optimal combat effectiveness against early-game champions and bosses, but facilitates experimentation with diverse firearm archetypes. Avoid developing sentimental attachments to early acquisitions—within ten hours of gameplay, nothing from the opening segments remains competitively viable.
Once you complete Outriders’ introductory missions, the crafting system becomes accessible, marking the transition where loot evaluation demands greater scrutiny. Continue upgrading to your most potent available equipment, but meticulously examine the modification attributes on any Rare (blue), Epic (purple), or exceptionally scarce Legendary (orange) items you obtain. When these armaments and armor become obsolete, deconstruct them rather than selling, which preserves their embedded mods for application to future Rare or Epic discoveries.
Maintain consistent gear modification practices. While certain mods provide universal advantages like health regeneration on lethal strikes or incendiary damage augmentation, numerous enhancements specifically complement particular character builds. You needn’t postpone developing your preferred combat methodology until concluding the main narrative. Each equipment upgrade presents an opportunity to transfer your favored modifications onto replacement gear, ensuring uninterrupted performance with your established tactical approach.
Considering how well the Technomancer excels at long-range, you should unlock the class’ Sniper Master skill as soon as possible.
Understanding ability rotation timing represents a critical combat skill many newcomers overlook. Each class features distinct cooldown periods between power usage, creating strategic windows where melee attacks become your primary damage source. Position yourself to maximize environmental advantages during these intervals, using terrain features to limit exposure while closing distance for melee engagements. This rhythmic combat flow—alternating between supernatural powers and physical assaults—defines expert Outriders gameplay.
Class synergy extends beyond individual abilities to encompass your entire equipment configuration. Technomancers benefit tremendously from sniper rifle modifications that complement their long-range specialization, while Tricksters should prioritize close-quarters weapon enhancements. Consult our Class Guide for detailed specialization strategies that apply similar tactical principles across different gaming environments.
A common beginner mistake involves hoarding outdated equipment “just in case” or selling valuable rare items instead of dismantling them for their mods. This approach severely hampers your late-game customization potential. Instead, adopt a disciplined inventory management strategy: vendor common (white) and uncommon (green) items, but always dismantle rare and epic gear to expand your modification library. This foundation becomes indispensable for tackling Outriders’ most demanding endgame challenges.
Action Checklist
- Practice sprinting melee attacks with each class to master their unique area-of-effect properties
- Establish loot discipline: sell common/uncommon gear, dismantle rare/epic items
- Identify and catalog 3-5 essential mods for your preferred playstyle
- Develop ability rotation rhythm incorporating melee attacks during cooldown periods
- Create gear modification protocol: always transfer essential mods to new equipment
No reproduction without permission:SeeYouSoon Game Club » 9 Outriders Tips You Should Remember Master Outriders with expert combat tactics, loot optimization, and class-specific strategies for dominating the battlefield
